Every year, more than 25 million luggage worldwide is misdirected or lost out of the 3 billion that airlines carry. How to effectively secure your luggage? What to do when our luggage is lost at the airport? Check out our guide!
How to recover lost luggage?
If your luggage has not appeared on the tape, immediately go to the lost luggage service point, which can be marked as “Lost & Found”, “Baggage Services” or “Customer Service” – names differ depending on the airport. These points are usually located in the arrivals hall, in the public area of the terminal.
While at the service point, report the lack of luggage to the employee and prepare the following documents:
- Boarding pass or boarding pass received during check-in
- Identity document (passport or ID card)
- Baggage tag confirming the sending of the suitcase
- If you have a plane ticket with you, please also present
Based on the information provided, the airport staff will prepare an official Property Irregularity Report (PIR). This document is crucial in the process of searching for and potential compensation for lost luggage. Data from the report will also be included in the baggage tracking system.
How long can you wait for your luggage?
The standard time to deliver luggage to the belt is usually up to 45 minutes after landing. In the case of connecting flights, your luggage is automatically transferred to the next plane. In a situation where your next flight is scheduled for the next day, you must pick up your luggage and re-ship it before the journey.
Special note for travelers to the United States: on first landing in the United States, all passengers are subject to mandatory immigration controls. This means having to pick up your luggage in person, go through customs controls, and then re-send your suitcases for the rest of your journey – even if your destination is elsewhere in the United States.
What to do if your luggage goes missing at the airport?
We already know that if luggage did not appear on the tape after 45 minutes, then we must go to the lost things or customer service point and report loss. If he finds himself, he will be sent to us as soon as possible.
If they do not find their luggage after three weeks, help is provided by the Montreal Convention, which provides for the possibility of claiming compensation from the carrier. We can refer to it both in the event of a loss of luggage, but also its damage or delay. It is worth remembering that each carrier is responsible for our luggage from the moment it is sent on the flight, until it is collected by us from the tape.
Unfortunately, according to the statistics, every fourth missing suitcase that was not found for 21 days is irretrievable.
How to get compensation for lost luggage at the airport?
In order to receive compensation for lost luggage, we must go to the customer service point and prepare a PIR report, which is the basis for claiming compensation. Remember, you must do this before you leave the airport!
The next step is to submit a written complaint by electronic or traditional means and send it to the airline. Include in the letter the following data:
- flight details,
- the amount of the claim (the upper limit is PLN 6,000),
- number of the bank account where the money is to be received.
- and attach a copy of the PIR report and the luggage registration voucher.
Airlines are required to respond within 30 days, but it is possible that they will require you to take additional action.
How often do luggage die at the airport?
The global aviation industry handles a huge number of travelers’ luggage every year. Statistics show that on average 5,6 passengers per 1 000 travelers are affected by missing luggage.
Anomalies in transfers between aircraft are responsible for most cases of lost suitcases. Most often this happens when the time to transfer luggage from one plane to another is too short.
Other common causes of luggage loss include:
- Damage to luggage identifiers during transport
- Incorrect or illegible labeling of suitcases
- Errors in airport sorting systems
The human factor cannot be ignored either – there are cases when travelers mistakenly take someone else’s suitcases from the luggage tape that look identical to our suitcases 😉
What to do to avoid losing luggage at the airport?
To reduce the risk of loss of luggage at the airport, you can use any of the following advice 😉
Make sure the markings are correct
Equip your suitcase with a visible tag with up-to-date contact details both outside and inside your luggage. This can be very important when someone finds our lost suitcase and wants to return it.
Check luggage tags
Always double-check the luggage label stuck on by airport staff during check-in. Pay special attention to the three-letter code of the destination airport – even a minor mistake can cause our suitcase to fly in a completely different direction.
Watch your luggage at the airport
At crowded airports it’s easy to make a mistake – another traveler can accidentally take your suitcase, thinking it’s his. It is best not to lose sight of your luggage, especially when picking up from the tape.
Leverage Location Technology
It is worth considering placing a notiOne locator in our suitcase, which will communicate with our phone. Thanks to a special application, we will be able to track the position of our suitcase and receive an alert when they go beyond the set range.
Comply with baggage limits
Let us not forget the airlines’ requirements for maximum size and weight of luggage – exceeding these limits can result in additional procedures that increase the risk of loss.
An interesting trick recommended by airport employees is to stick a sticker with the words FRAGILE on the suitcase, which supposedly speeds up the unloading of it on tape. And since it’s on it, it’s not likely to get lost!!!
SO WATCH YOUR LUGGAGE!!!!
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